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Service innovations

Home treatment for first-episode psychosis

Albany Lodge, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Neil Brimblecombe, Lead Nurse

Mental Health Services Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust, 99 Waverley Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 5TL, UK

Geraldine O'Sullivan, Consultant Psychiatrist

Albany Lodge, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Declaration of interest

None.

Abstract

AIMS AND METHOD

Demographic and clinical details were recorded for individuals with first-episode psychosis, potentially requiring hospital admission, who were assessed by two home treatment/crisis resolution teams over an 18-month period. The aims were to identify the proportion of such individuals that can be treated at home, factors associated with successful home treatment and reasons for hospitalisation when this took place.

RESULTS

Successful home management was achieved in 20 (54%) of cases. No significant difference was found in any demographic variable, diagnostic category and initial Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) ratings between those who were hospitalised and those who were not. The most common reason recorded for admission was that of risk to self.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Many patients with first-episode psychosis otherwise requiring hospitalisation can be managed successfully at home by an intensive home-treatment team. These findings have significant implications for both in-patient and community services, in view of the planned increases in home treatment/crisis resolution services proposed in the NHS Plan.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Gould, K. Theodore, S. Pilling, P. Bebbington, M. Hinton, and S. Johnson Initial treatment phase in early psychosis: can intensive home treatment prevent admission? Psychiatr. Bull., July 1, 2006; 30(7): 243 - 246. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]